Beijing Tong Ren Tang offers free tram rides to raise awareness of stroke

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Chinese medicine company Beijing Tong Ren Tang is offering free tram rides on World Stroke Day on 29 October to raise awareness about stroke. Known as "World Stroke Day’s Hong Kong Tramways Free-ride Tour", this is touted by the company as the first stroke-themed tram free-ride tour in the city.

The campaign's launch ceremony will be held at Whitty Street Tram Depot, Connaught Road West, Sai Wan at 10 am. This is followed by a tramway tour from Whitty Street to Causeway Bay. World Stroke Day came about when the World Stroke Organisation began commemorating it in 2006 with the intention of invoking public concern on stroke and boosting public awareness towards its prevention and treatment. In response, Beijing Tong Ren Tang has been hosting the Tong Ren Tang Stroke Prevention campaign annually in Hong Kong since 2016. According to the company, it is the first large-scale stroke-related event held by a local TCM company. MARKETING-INTERACTIVE has reached out to Beijing Tong Ren Tang for additional information.

Free ride campaigns on Tramways are being used as a marketing strategy for brands to engage with their target audience. In April. Hong Kong Tramways collaborated with the fan club of Hong Kong idol Keung To to launch “Free Ride Day” to serve as a gift to Keung, whose birthday falls on the same day. Fashion brand ESPRIT also offered free tram rides in August to promote its return to the Hong Kong home base.

Tramways carries up to 200,000 passengers daily. In June, it attempted to tackle revenue decline by increasing its fare on trams by 15.4%. Its revenue is mainly comprised of passenger fare and non-fare box revenue from advertising. Passenger fares accounted for some 50% of Hong Kong Tramways’ total revenue in recent years.

At the same time, its ad revenue has also been on a decline over the past few years, from HK$120.7 million in 2018 to HK$107.6 million in 2021. The company previously said that the potential to further increase advertising and other non-fare box revenue was limited, as all tram bodies in general carried advertisements and most tram stop shelters with commercial potential were utilised.

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